Public servants and community members at Songwe Border in Karonga on Wednesday cleaned up the gateway to Tanzania.
Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) station manager Innocent Bamusi said the exercise was inspired by sanitation and hygiene at Kasumulu Border Post on the Tanzanian side.
He said: “Songwe Border looked filthy and lacked well-coordinated waste disposal management. When we compared ourselves with colleagues from Kasumulu Border, we noticed that we lagged behind.
“Kasumulu looked much tidier. Some people complained about different unhygienic practices here.”
To keep the border zone clean, the committee has agreed to procure bins and clean the premises once every three months. They have also activated fines for littering.
Songwe Ward councillor Misheck Mwayijengo said the breakdown in sanitation and hygiene at any point of entry gives tourists, investors, traders and other travellers a bad image.
Tanzania recently banned thin plastic, which remain in use and dumped all over Songwe Border Post and the rest of Malawi.
